Trouble With Fred and George
by arthursmolly
Summary: When Molly and Arthur bring Fred and George home, they are faced with the challenge of learning to tell them apart.


"So, Molly-dear, how are we going to tell these little guys apart?" Arthur asked, pressing a kiss to the top of his wife's head, as she was nestled against his side, her head on his shoulder with a tiny bundle in her arms. He also had a bundle, and he couldn't seem to wipe the smile from his face as he watched his twin sons sleep. They were fairly new, as they had been brought into the world only a few hours earlier, and Arthur had to chuckle as he recalled that due to the fact he and Molly hadn't been able to contact relatives to stay home with their three older sons, Bill, Charlie, and Percy, Molly had endured all of her twelve hour labor at home, just barely making it to St. Mungo's in time to push them into the world.

"I've no clue Arthur, love," Molly replied, yawning a little as she had been napping comfortably against her husband in the hospital bed. "We haven't even decided which one is which have we?"

"We haven't Molly-girl. The Healers and Medi-witches are referring to them as "Boy Weasley One" and "Boy Weasley Two", as that's what's on their ribbons, and their birth certificates haven't been completely filled out yet either." Arthur commented, rubbing his wife's back in soothing circles.

"Well, why don't we just go in order then? Baby One can be Fred and Baby Two George."

"Sounds well and good to me Molly. When the medi-witch comes back, I'll have her fill out the birth certificates accordingly. You just rest, you've done your job."

"I know you'll take care of it Arthur, you always have handled the birth certificates and you haven't made a mistake yet," she replied, snuggling a bit closer to him. "Just show me where I sign to show that I'm their rightful mother, love, and I'm fine." She kissed his cheek and adjusted the baby she had so she could drape an arm over her husband's middle.

"Of course, my dear, but we don't need to worry about that right this minute. Rest, I'll wake you up if one of these guys get hungry."

Molly obeyed and closed her eyes for a minute before she snapped them back open at her next thought.

"What is it, Mol?" Arthur asked, feeling his wife jerk against him.

"Feedings," she muttered, shaking her head. "I can't nurse them both at the same time."

"Why not, Molly-girl? You have two…um…two…well…you know…" he began, blushing a bit as he dropped his eyes towards his wife's chest to get his point across.

"I believe 'breasts' is the word you're looking for, dear," Molly commented, offering him a smile. "I'm very much aware of that fact but I can't nurse them at the same time comfortably, I need a free hand. Besides, I also need to be able to switch sides every few feedings or so as they get tender."

"Ah yes, that's right, I remember when we first had Bill, for the first few weeks or so, you said they hurt."

"And how do you remember that? Dare I ask?"

Arthur smirked at her before he answered holding her tight. "I remember because you wouldn't let me touch them when we made love the first time since he'd come along. I could touch you everywhere else, just not there because you said they were tender."

"Of course, I should have known that's how you'd remember, it had something to do with our love life." Molly sighed, rolling her eyes.

"Is that a problem," Arthur asked dropping his voice to a whisper, "Mollywobbles?"

"Not at all, dear, I was just a bit surprised you remembered; normally that wouldn't be something a man remembers about having a baby."

"And you'd know that how?"

"I just meant that sometimes husbands aren't very sensitive when it comes to their wife's discomfort when they breast-feed, but as usual, you've proved yourself to be one of the few who _do_ care about what I go through with our children."

"Of course I do, Molly. It'd be selfish of me if I didn't, and I don't want to be selfish, I want to be the man you deserve."

Molly blushed at her husband's comment, letting out a soft sigh as she placed a kiss on the corner of his mouth. "I'll be the first to admit you're accomplishing that spectacularly, Arthur. You're one of the best of men, and you're very good to me. I count myself one of the lucky women every day because I chose and married you."

It was Arthur's turn to blush, and he gazed into his wife's deep brown eyes, knowing that she meant every word she had spoken with all of her heart.

"Molly, you're too kind, really." He replied, kissing her forehead.

"I'm just stating the truth, love." Molly said, yawning and closing her eyes. Arthur smiled as he watched his wife drift off to sleep. His heart swelled with pride with the knowledge that he was pleasing his wife with his husbandly duties and that she saw herself as a lucky women to be married to him.

A few nights later however, Arthur wasn't smiling, as he was so tired he ached; yet he couldn't go to bed because Fred and George were up when they should have been in their cribs, asleep.

"Molly?"

"What dear?" Molly replied, looking up from the baby at her breast to look at her husband who was trying to calm down the other infant.

"Why aren't these little guys sleeping?" He asked wearily, shifting the infant from one arm to the other.

"I don't know, but I wish they would sleep, the only way I can tell them apart for the time being is their ribbons, but those need to come off."

"I know, but how are we going to tell them apart?"

"Their feeding schedules, I guess, dear, but I can hardly concentrate and I ache because I'm exhausted." Molly sighed, detaching the baby from her breast. "I've half a mind to think that they have colic. This is what we went through with Charlie all over again, just with two babies instead of one."

"Aw, Molly, I sure hope not, its bad enough with the schedule you're on to feed these guys."

Molly nodded as she stood from her rocker to take the twins back to bed as they were finally settling down into slumber, and on the way back to their bedroom, Arthur slid an arm around her waist.

"When's their check-up, Mol?"

"Tomorrow. Do you think your mum would watch Bill, Charlie and Percy while we go?"

"I'm sure of it, Mollywobbles."

A week later, after it had been confirmed by Healer Sedgewick that young Fred and George did indeed have colic, Molly was frustrated.

"Arthur can you please bring me Fred?" She asked, not wanting to get out of bed to nurse her children, and both babies were squalling.

"Sure, Molly." Arthur replied climbing out of bed to fetch the baby. When he returned and gave "Fred" to his wife, he was slightly surprised when she scowled and raised her voice at him.

"Arthur Weasley, that is _not_ Fred! That is George!"

"What, no, of course not, this is Fred, Mollywobbles."

"Arthur, are you telling me you _still _can't tell them apart?"

"I guess so, Molly." He replied sheepishly.

"Arthur, it's been almost two weeks, this is just ridiculous. Listen closely: Fred's the one that always nurses first, he's the one that's always squalling for milk—"

"I know that Molly, but they're both in there squalling—" Arthur interrupted, a bit half-heartedly.

"George is the one that's always content, as he nurses second, by the time he's finished, Fred's getting hungry again, Arthur. Please, please keep our children straight!"

"I'm sorry, Mol."

"Mumma?" Molly shifted her gaze to the bedroom doorway where Charlie was standing.

"What is it Charlie?"

"What's going on?"

"Your father is just being a complete and utter idiot and git, Charlie, go on back to bed."

Charlie nodded, toddling back to his bedroom.

"See what you did, Arthur? Go tuck him back in as you woke him up."

"Me? You're the one who's raising their voice, Mol."

"Yes, because of you! Go tend to Charlie, I've got Fred and George." She sighed as she stood and made her way to the nursery with the infant. Then after Arthur had joined her in the nursery, she said, "I'm sorry Arthur, I shouldn't have yelled."

"I know, Molly. I'm trying though, I really am."

"I realize that. You can go back to bed, you're not much of a help anyway."

"Hey!"

Molly giggled and stretched up to kiss his cheek. "I'm only kidding, Arthur, but you can go to bed if you wish, I've got this under control."

"All right, if you insist." He said, kissing her softly. "Good-night, Mol, Fred, George." With that, Arthur left the nursery, closing the door slightly behind him.

Molly shook her head as she watched him leave, glancing down at the baby Arthur had handed to her, which wasn't George but indeed, Fred. Merlin, she loved playing with her husband's head from time to time, but she knew she'd be confessing to him in the morning, just to show him that he was indeed able to tell their children apart. "Boost his confidence level a bit," she thought as she smiled down at her son and began the long task of mothering.


End file.
